Blessings in Disguise
by FaithInHim4ever
Summary: Third story in my ADJL series. When Rebecca is thrown out of the Huntsclan, she turns to an old friend for help. Meanwhile Rose and Jake go through the triumphs and trials of raising two daughters as well as a now teenage Haley. R/R
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own any of the chars from ADJL. They belong to Disney. I do however own Rebecca Hawkins, as well as her daughter, Brooke. I also own Jake and Rose's children, Emily and Anna, along with the angel, Joy and anyone else you don't recognize. If anyone wants to use these OC's, please ask me first!  
Thanks!  
God loves you  
Enjoy!

A/N: This story is the third in a series I'm starting. "Me and Emily" is the first one and "One Rose Too Many Thorns" is the second. I suggest reading those before reading this one.

"Blessings in Disguise"

A figure stood alone on the empire state building, her light brown hair flowing in the wind behind her.

She knew what she had to do and why she was there. The strange thing was, a part of her didn't want to complete the task.

She didn't know when the excitement of her job had worn off. Maybe it was after her daughter, Brooke, now almost three had taken her first steps. Or maybe it had been the night she called her Mama for the first time or maybe it had been months before that, when the teenage mother had lost her best friend forever.

Whatever it was, Rebecca wasn't sure. All she knew was, she would rather be anywhere else but here.

Sighing, she pushed a strand of her hair behind her left ear as she surveyed the scene in front of her.

A basket of griffin eggs sat near the far right wall. The Huntsman had ordered her to retrieve them and bring them back to the Academy no later than the next morning.

She shivered, just thinking what their fate would be once she turned them over to the Huntsman.

It wasn't that she was especially fond of griffins or anything, in fact, she found them quite ugly. It was just the thought of the griffin's babies not being given a chance at life that tugged at her heart.

Making a final decision, she carefully set the eggs in a crate and took off with the basket in her hand.

She would find some replacements for the eggs in hopes the Huntsman wouldn't notice.

When she got back to the Academy, she was met by 88 and 89.

"What are you two yahoos doing now?" She asked in exasperation. "I thought the Huntsman sent you two out on a mission."

"He did." 88 replied. "We've been done that over an hour ago."

"Did you actually catch the unicorn this time?" She asked.

"Well, almost."

"Almost?" Rebecca shook her head. "I would hate to be you when the Huntsman found out."

"Ooh, 89, look. Huntsgirl got some Easter eggs!" 88 cried. He then turned to Rebecca. "Can we decorate them?"

Rebecca was about to say no, but then got an idea.

"Sure. Whatever. Have fun." With that, she left the boys alone.

Rebecca grinned as she made her way upstairs to her room. She would have loved to be there to see the Huntsman's reaction, but she had stuff she had to do.

Entering her room, her azure eyes landed on a picture of Rose and herself at a juice bar.

This had been taken a few months before Rose had left.

Fighting back tears, Rebecca sank down on her bed and sighed. She wondered what her best friend was up to now and if she had found a way to have the life she deserved with the dragon she loved.

As this thought crossed her mind, Rebecca started wondering if there was someone out there for her as well. Then again, she was just being silly. No man or teenage boy for that matter would want to be in a relationship with someone who had a child. It was too much to hope for. In fact, as far as Rebecca was concerned, it would take a miracle.

As her thoughts floated one more time to Rose, she made a decision to try and establish contact again. She really missed her friend and she also wanted to see how her niece was doing. Emily was probably eight or nine by now and probably as smart as a whip.

Picking up her cell phone, Rebecca dialed a number and waited for someone to answer.

"Yes." She said when someone finally picked up. "Could you find Jake Long's number please?"


	2. Chapter 2Trouble At the Track

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own any of the chars from ADJL. They belong to Disney. I do however own Rebecca Hawkins, as well as her daughter, Brooke. I also own Jake and Rose's children, Emily and Anna, along with the angel, Joy and anyone else you don't recognize. If anyone wants to use these OC's, please ask me first!  
Thanks!  
God loves you  
Enjoy!

A/N: I'm so sorry for the long wait on this story! I hope the next two chapters make up for it. My best friend, Kate, helped me write these next two installments! Thanks so much! We had a lot of fun writing them!

"Blessings in Disguise"

Chapter 2-Trouble At the Track

Mornings at the Long household were usually very chaotic. You would think they wouldn't be due to the fact that Rose and Jake only had two children, but it wasn't so.

Not only did they have two girls who were ten and five years old, they also had a teenager in the house that was going through what Rose called "the teen years."

Not to mention the pets they owned.

Rose and Jake had gotten Emily and Anna each their own cat after a friend of theirs had offered them two for free.

Emily had named hers Sagwa and Anna had gone with the name Belle, after her favorite Disney Princess. The other reason she had named her Belle was because the kitten often fell asleep near or on top of the book shelf.

Then there was the pet they would love to get rid of. They didn't' necessarily own him. Then again, who would want to? His name was Fu and he was a talking 600 year old Charpe.

Rose grinned as she watched Haley run around trying to get ready for school.

This was often amusing to watch, since both cats took it upon themselves to steal various school items such as pens, pencils and the occasional eraser.

As Rose sipped at her tea, she smiled to herself. She knew it wouldn't be long before her daughters were awake.

Meanwhile, upstairs in Emily's room, the ten-year-old was just waking up.

She rolled over and glanced out of her window.

A clear blue sky smiled back at her.

'Great!" She thought. 'It'll be nice for track tryouts."

With that thought, she rose out of bed and started to dress.

As she went to braid her hair, Sagwa sauntered in and jumped onto her dresser.

"Not this morning." She said as the cat lunged for her hair tie. "I don't have time for a game of hide and seek."

Sagwa meowed indignantly before rubbing up against her arm and jumping down.

Once she was ready, Emily went downstairs where she found her mother finishing her cup of tea and Fu grumbling about something.

"Hey kid." Fu said as he stuffed some pancakes into his mouth. "How'd you sleep?"

"You know that's disgusting, don't you?" Emily asked as she went over to the cabinet to retrieve a box of Fruit Loops.

Fu shrugged.

"SO? I'm a dog. We like to eat."

"So eat somewhere else." Rose commented pointedly. "Like somewhere far away from here."

"Aw, you don't' really mean that, do ya?"

"I think she does." Emily observed as she sat down with a half full bowl of cereal.

Just then, they heard Haley yelling at someone.

"Give that back!" She shouted. "I need it for math class."

"I didn't do it this time." Fu said as he went for the counter where a plastic tin of brownies sat.

"Don't you even." Rose warned as she followed his movements with her eyes. "They're not for you."

"What? Sue a dog for wanting to protect the people he cares about."

"What do you mean?" Rose asked. Her tone was edging on annoyance.

Fu shrugged as though it were obvious. He then remembered something.

"Oh yeah. You weren't there during the whole cry lock crisis. Who made these anyway?"

"I did." Rose replied. "Paws off. What cry lock crisis"

Fu grinned as he sat down next to the plastic tin and started his tale.

"Well, it was when the kid was trying to find you. He couldn't think of anything else, including his home ec grade."

Rose nodded.

"Go on." She urged.

"Well, let's just say I'll never put Trixie and Spud on baking duty again."

"Why?"

"Well for one thing, Spud can't read right. He accidentally mixed up baking soda with cry lock venom."

"Let me guess, the cupcakes were one of a kind."

"You could say that. What are these for anyway?

"Emily's school fund raiser." She replied. "And no, you can't test them."

After Fu left, Emily got her things together and left with her car pool.

Rose sighed as she got up and put her cup in the sink. It was nearly time to get Anna up for kindergarten.

As she headed upstairs, she heard Haley mumbling something about cat casserole as she approached her youngest daughter's bedroom door.

She was about to knock gently, when she realized it was already open.

Glancing inside, she noticed Anna wasn't there.

Hearing voices coming from the bathroom, she followed it to find Jake and Anna inside.

The young man was doing her hair or trying to anyway.

"Do you want some help, dragon boy?" Rose asked from the doorway.

"Daddy's trying to French braid my hair." Anna informed her mother.

"The keyword being trying." Rose quipped with a smile. "Come here, sweetheart. Let Mommy do that."

"Hey!" Jake said as he gave Rose a wounded look. "The MacDaddy Jake has it under control."

"Uh, yeah. Sure." Rose said as she gave Anna a hug good morning before sitting down on the toilet seat and trying to fix the disaster Jake had created.

After Rose was done, she helped Anna get her stuff together and they left for her school.

Before they left the house, Rose called upstairs to Haley.

"Do you want a ride?" She called up.

"No thanks!" Haley replied. "I'm gonna drive with Becca!"

"Okay." Rose said. "And make sure that's all you do."

"Yeah, yeah." Haley replied.

She had almost been caught flying to school with her best friend on her back.

Fortunately, Sun had been able to stop any trouble before it started.

This didn't mean that Jake and Rose hadn't been informed however.

With that, Rose and Anna were gone.

As Rose dropped Anna off at her classroom, a warm feeling swept over her.

She couldn't' explain it, but something told her it was good.

As she kissed Anna good-bye, she couldn't shake the feeling she was getting.

As Rose was leaving, Anna posed a question to her before running off to play with her friends.

"When are we gonna see Aunt Joy again?"

This question caught Rose off guard. She hadn't thought of her angelic friend in a while. But now that Anna had mentioned her, Rose couldn't help but wonder where she was and what she was doing.

"I'm not sure, sweetheart." Rose replied. "I'll let you know when I know."

"Okay." Anna said before leaving her side.

Meanwhile over at the elementary school, Emily was sitting in the gym, waiting for the coach to announce when track try outs were going to be held.

Her two best friends, Kassie Wilson and Rachel Warner, were on either side of her.

Rachel was more athletic than Kassie, but she was happy her friend was trying out all the same.

"Maybe she forgot why we're here." Emily said with a giggle. "I don't think she had her coffee this morning."

Kassie nodded.

"I know. She tried giving me a lunchroom pass instead of a bathroom one this morning."

"You should have taken it." Rachel said. "You could have gotten a free breakfast."

Emily jabbed her friend in the side.

"Don't listen to her, Kass." She said. "It'll only land you in detention."

Rachel glared at her.

"Are you guys coming to the picnic next Friday?" Rachel asked.

"I am." Kassie replied.

"How about you, EM?"

Emily shifted uncomfortably.

"I…I can't." She said. "We have some family plans of our own."

"What could be better than hanging out with us at a picnic full of food?" Rachel asked.

"We're going somewhere." Emily said.

"Where?" Kassie inquired. She leaned closer to Emily and whispered, "Are you going to Draco Island again?"

Emily shook her head.

"No. And keep your voice down."

"Aw, you gotta relax, Long." Rachel said as she patted her on the back. "It's not like anyone here cares about your family heritage."

Little did they know they were being watched.

Before Emily could say anything further, the coach stepped up to the podium.

Coach Masters smiled around at the students before addressing them at large.

"I'm glad to see such a large turn out this year." She began. "As you know, not everyone here will be making the team. But I appreciate your support of those who will."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Rachel said underneath her breath. "Just get on with it."

Kassie hid a giggle behind her hand.

"Where do you have to be?" She hissed.

Rachel shrugged.

"I gotta hit the mall. They're having a sale at Sports world."

Emily motioned for both of them to be quiet just in time to hear the coach announce who the sponsor would be.

"Now, I'd like to introduce the sponsor of this year's track and field mete, Eli Pandarus."

Emily's breath caught in her throat. She knew who this guy was and he certainly wasn't anyone good.

"Emily?" Kassie asked as she looked over and saw that her friend had gone slightly pale. "Emily, are you okay?"

"Hey, Long!" Rachel shouted as she waved a hand in front of the ten-year-old's face. "Are you with us?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. What'd I miss?"

Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Not much." Rachel said. "Just a lot of mumbo jumbo about school spirit and teamwork. All the stuff that's better left on a hallmark card."

"Don't listen to her." Kassie said, receiving a look from the slightly older girl. "I think teamwork is really important. But she's right about one thing. You didn't' miss much. Come on, let's go to lunch. I'm starving!"

"When are you not?" Rachel retorted.

Kassie glared at her. She then got a smirk on her face and added, "If we don't hurry up, the seat next to Josh will be taken. And we all know who wants that seat."

"Not me." Emily said emphatically. "I have my guy."

"Emily and Jeremy sitting in a tree." Kassie said in a sing song voice.

Emily was about to playfully shove her, when something or rather someone made her stop in her tracks.

Blinking hard, she gazed in the direction of the hallway that lead to the computer lab, only to find nobody there.

"But I could have sworn I saw my…"" She said to herself.

"If you don't get a move on," Rachel said only half jokingly, "the only thing you're gonna be seeing is the last lunch being bought."

Emily nodded and tried to keep up

But even as her legs did all the work, her mind was focused on the person or angel she thought she had seen at the end of the hallway.

"Aunt Joy." She muttered to herself as they entered the cafeteria.

"So what will it be?" Rachel asked, breaking her out of her thoughts. "Squirrel liver or pig brains?"

"Rachel!" Both girls squealed in disgust.

"You're worse than Fu." Emily declared.

"I don't think even Rachel could match his level of disgust." Kassie said as she picked up a sandwich, complete with strawberry milk and a bag of sesame seed pretzels.

"Yeah, you're right." Emily agreed.

Sitting down at their usual table, they were joined by Jeremy Hillard and Josh Harper.

"Hey Em." Jeremy said with a shy smile. "What's up?"

Emily grinned broadly.

"Nothing much." She said as she dug into her taco salad. "Just the usual. So what are you doing on Friday?" She asked.

From across the table, Kassie held her breath and Rachel tried hard not to roll her eyes.

"The same old." He replied. "Why?"

Emily shrugged.

"Well, I thought you would want some company. After all, taking care of horses on your own can get pretty lonely. So how about it?"

"Ooh!" Rachel couldn't help but utter.

Kassie kicked her underneath the table.

"Just ignore them." Emily told him. "I have to ask my Mom, but I'm sure she'll say yes."

"Okay." He said. "And what about afterwards, we meet Kassie and Sam for pizza."

"Sounds like a plan." Emily replied as she bit into a nacho…


	3. Chapter 3Gifts and Consequences

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own any of the chars from ADJL. They belong to Disney. I do however own Rebecca Hawkins, as well as her daughter, Brooke. I also own Jake and Rose's children, Emily and Anna, along with the angel, Joy and anyone else you don't recognize. If anyone wants to use these OC's, please ask me first!  
Thanks!  
God loves you  
Enjoy!

A/N: Hi and welcome to chapter 3 of this story! I hope everyone enjoys it! Chapter 4 is coming soon.

"Blessings in Disguise"

Chapter 3-Gifts and Consequences

Throughout the rest of the day, Emily's upcoming date with Jeremy was all Rachel and Kassie could talk about. Kassie did most of the talking while Rachel just taunted her playfully.

At the end of the day, the three walked home together.

They arrived at Cal street electronics to find Fu grumbling and going through some books, while Jake sorted through some inventory that had just come in.

When they entered the shop, Emily gave her friends the signal to be quiet about the day's events. It wasn't her father she was worried about, but Fu.

Not only would he tease her to no end, but he would also bug her endlessly for romantic advice.

"Hey kids!" Fu said as he glanced up from the book he was reading. "What's up?"

"Well, other than Pandarus is working at our school, nothing." Emily said as she flopped down on the couch.

"Say what?" Jake said as he stood up.

Emily giggled despite herself. Her Dad was funny sometimes.

"Are you serious, Em?" He asked.

"As serious as I am about trying to bail on next week's history test."

"Oh. That's serious all right. Now, where'd I put that little black book?"

Jake gave him a Look.

"Oh all right. Do you know what he was afta, sweetheart?" He asked.

Emily shook her head.

"No. Unless he's after a metal."

"Come again?" Jake asked as he sat down beside his eldest daughter.

Emily filled her father in on everything that had gone on during the sports assembly. Well, almost everything.

"Do you think I should have Kelly keep a look out?" She asked.

"Not just yet." Jake said. "I wanna get a handle on what's going on first."

"Be my guest." Emily said. "But if you're late for dinner again, Mom's gonna have a cow."

"Relax." He assured her. "I know how to handle your Mom when she's pregnant."

"WOW!" Fu said in reference to Jake's last statement. "You have another one cooking in the oven?"

"Where have you been?" Emily asked as she rolled her eyes. "Mom's been pregnant for the last two months."

"I've been…around." Fu said evasively.

"Ooh, sounds like someone's got a secret." Kassie said, jumping into the conversation.

Fu shook his head.

"I'm not spilling this time. And besides, it's not for you three to get involved in."

"Why not?" Emily asked.

"It's a little dangerous."

"Fu…." Jake said warningly.

"What? It's not like I Told them the secret mission the dragon council just gave you."

"What secret mission?" All three pre-teens asked in unison.

"Come on, Daddy. Please?"

Jake shook his head.

"I can't." He said. "And as for you," he said rounding on Fu.

"What? Sue a dog for trying to answer a couple of questions."

Just then, the phone rang.

"Yo! Talk to me." Jake said as he picked it up. Hey, Rose. Yeah, she's here. You want me to send her home. Sure. What's going on? Oh, that kind of surprise. All right. Will do. Yes, I'll be home for dinner." With that, he hung up the phone. "Your Mom wants you home." He told the young girl.

"Why?" Emily questioned.

"Yeah." Kassie piped up. "It's just gotten really interesting."

"She said she has a surprise for you."

"Ooh. Is it edible?" Kassie asked.

"I've been sworn to secrecy." He told all three of them. "But I promise you'll like it."

Emily nodded.

"Come on, Rach." She said turning to the older girl. "We'll drop you off at the mall."

"No way." Rachel declared. "I wanna see this surprise for myself." With that, the three headed to Emily's house…

Opening the door, Emily heard her mother talking to someone in a gentle, but firm way.

Figuring Anna was in one of her over energized moods, Emily led the way inside.

"Mom!" She called out.

"In the kitchen, sweetheart!" Rose called back. "I put a snack out for you guys."

"Thanks, Mrs. Long!" Kassie called out.

"What is it?" Was Rachel's question.

As Emily reached the kitchen, Rose pulled her into a hug. Kissing the top of her head, she ruffled her hair before giving her a slight push towards the living room.

"What?" Emily asked. "I'm not in trouble, am I?"

Rose shook her head.

"No." She confirmed. "I need you to do me a favor." She said.

"Sure." Emily replied. The smell of peanut butter and chocolate pretzels made her stomach growl. "What is it?"

"I need you to go into the living room and get my laptop for me. I would do it, but Sagwa decided to sleep on top of it and I know how much you enjoy getting her off."

Emily gave her mother a funny look.

"Are you feeling okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine." Rose assured her. "Now scoot."

Emily nodded.

As she entered the living room, she spotted her mother's laptop right where she said it was.

She was about to interrupt the cat's nap, when she heard a familiar voice address her from across the room.

"Why, you're becoming' a big girl."

Emily whirled around and her face split into a grin when she saw who was standing there.

"Aunt Joy!" She exclaimed. "I was right!"

Joy smiled as she embraced her eldest niece.

"Aw, it's so good to see you." Joy said as she hugged her close. "And what were you right about?"

Emily explained as they pulled away.

"I saw you this afternoon." She explained. "Or I thought I did."

Joy nor confirmed or denied it.

"What happened?" Kassie demanded as she and Rachel ran into the room.

Rachel was holding a half eaten pretzel in her hand.

"Yeah." Rachel said as she bit into her snack. "We heard you scream all the way in the kitchen."

"Hey Joy." Kassie said when she saw her. "What's up?"

Joy grinned.

"Nothin' much." She said. "I'm just here to visit for a wee while."

"How long?" Emily inquired.

"Long enough." She answered.

"That sounds good to me." Emily replied.

Kassie got a grin on her face just then.

"Mind if I sketch you?" She asked.

"I got a part time job in Anna's school." Joy explained as she sat down on the couch. She turned to Kassie. "And it's fine." She said.

"Awesome! I'll be right back. Hey, EM, can I borrow some of your art supplies?"

"Sure." Emily said as she got comfortable next to her aunt. "You know where they are."

"Why don't you ever bring your own?" Rachel wondered.

Kassie shrugged.

"Because I know Emily will let me borrow hers." With that, she disappeared.

"I'll be right back." Rachel said as she stood up. "I need a soda." With that, she left.

Emily wasted no time.

"So, you got another assignment from God, huh?"

Joy nodded.

"I don't' know for how long though." She explained. "I was told to stay close to Anna for the time being."

"Why?" Emily inquired.

"I don't know yet." She said. "The Father hasn't said."

Emily nodded. She was about to ask something else, when Kassie burst back into the room.

"Got it!" She announced. "Emily, you gotta take me to that art store you went to last week. Those neon poster paints are awesome!"

"Sure." Emily told her. "I'll see if Mom wants to go."

Kassie nodded. She sat down across from the two and started to sketch the Irish angel…

Meanwhile, across town, Rebecca was trying hard not to double over with laughter.

"They did what?" She asked as her friend, Bridget sat on her bed.

Bridget nodded as a giggle escaped her lips.

"Those two idiots tried to spend Monopoly money." She told her.

Rebecca started laughing all over again. She had to keep it down because her daughter was sleeping across the room from her.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Hey, Rebecca." Came Nickell's voice. Nickell was another friend of hers and a fellow student at the Huntsclan academy.

"Yeah?" Rebecca said as she opened the door. She motioned for Nickell, or Nicky as she was affectionately called to stay quiet.

"The Huntsman wants to see you. Now."

Rebecca sighed. She hated these late night calls.

Heaving a sigh, Rebecca kissed brooke on the cheek before leaving her in Nickell's capable hands.

"You wanted to see me, master?" Rebecca asked as she stepped into his office.

"Yes." He indicated the partially opened door. "Close the door."

Rebecca did so, feeling a wave of nervousness come over her. She really didn't' feel like getting a beating tonight.

"Yes?" She asked once the door was closed.

"Sit down." He motioned to a chair that sat across from his desk.

Rebecca sat, all the while praying this wouldn't' take long. She could hear the distant sounds of thunder and knew Brooke was afraid of thunderstorms.

"I have an assignment for you." The Huntsman told her. "Seeing as you were so prompt in delivering me my griffin eggs, although I don't' have the slightest idea why they were died purple, I have decided to give you an even greater task."

"Which is?" Rebecca asked.

"I want you to take this necklace and make sure the American dragon gives it to his wife."

"Why?" Rebecca asked. "What's so important about a silly gold necklace?"

"Don't ask questions." He ordered. "Just do as I ask."

"But what if something goes wrong?"

"I trust that it won't. Because if it does, you'll be out of a job. Do you understand me?"

"Yes master."

"Good. Oh, and one more thing."

"Yes?"

"Next time eighty-eight and eighty-nine have a mission from me, make sure they complete it!"

Rebecca nodded as she left the room.

"Fat chance." She mumbled to herself once she was out of earshot.

The next day, Rebecca tried to think of ways to do her job without actually hurting anyone. She wanted to establish contact with Rose, but not in this way.

As she thought of a solution to her problem, she decided to take a walk.

As she made her way through central park, her mind started to wander.

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't even notice when the necklace slipped from her fingers and landed on the ground.

It only occurred to her when she was halfway back to the academy.

Cursing herself inside for her stupidity, she only prayed the necklace got to where it needed to go without harming anyone else.

Meanwhile, Jeremy was walking his dog, Scooter, when he noticed something shiny laying on the ground.

"Hold on, boy." He said. "What's that?"

He bent down and picked up the object.

Examining it closely, he discovered it was a necklace. It was gold and had a heart shaped pendant in the middle. It looked like the kind of necklace that held a picture inside.

Smiling to himself, he put it in his pocket and made his way back to his house. He knew exactly who he was going to give it to. He wanted to get Emily something special for a long time now, and it seemed God had finally answered his prayer.

Arriving back at his house, Jeremy put Scooter inside, fed him and made his way to the Long house.

Arriving ten minutes later, he rang the doorbell.

Not recognizing the person who answered, he gave her a shy smile.

"Hi." He began. "I'm Jeremy. I'm a friend of Emily's."

"Ah, yes." Joy said, giving him a smile. "She's told me a lot about you. Come on in. She's just about ready to leave."

"Thanks." With that, Jeremy stepped inside the house.

Taking a seat on the living room couch, he smiled as the familiar sounds of the Long household met his ears.

"Would you like something to drink?" Joy offered as she sat across from him.

Jeremy shook his head.

"No thanks." He said.

Just then, Emily bounded down the stairs.

"Aunt Joy, I'm…" Her voice trailed off as she saw who was sitting in her living room. "Jeremy, hi! What are you doing here?"

Jeremy grinned, although he was blushing.

"I just wanted to walk you to school." He said. "And I sort of got you something."

Emily's blue eyes lit up.

"You did?" She asked. "You didn't have to."

"I know. But I wanted to. Besides, Kassie wouldn't let me live it down if I didn't."

Emily nodded.

"Well, let's go." She said. "See ya, Aunt Joy." With that, she gave her a kiss and hug before shouting a final good bye to her mother and sister and leading the way out the door.

Her father had already left the house. He had a meeting with the Dragon council.

Gaining the sidewalk, Jeremy stopped them halfway to Kassie's house.

"Wait." He said. "I wanna give you your present now."

"Okay." Emily replied.

Jeremy grinned as he pulled the necklace out of his pocket.

"Close your eyes." He said.

Emily did so.

Once he placed the piece of jewelry in her hand, he allowed her to open them.

Emily gasped when she saw what was inside.

"Jeremy, it's beautiful." She breathed. "Where did you get it?"

Jeremy's heart skipped a beat as he thought of the best way to answer her.

"Well, let's just say I found it at the last minute." He replied.

Emily nodded as she allowed him to place the necklace around her neck.

It felt cool against her skin.

As she felt the heart around her neck, she grinned. She couldn't wait to open it and see what Jeremy had put inside.

They reached Kassie's house to find her waiting for them.

She squealed upon seeing the necklace around Emily's neck.

"I told you you would come up with something!" She said, grinning at Jeremy.

Jeremy nodded.

They were about to turn onto Rachel's street, when Kassie remembered something.

"Rachel's not coming today." She told Emily.

"Why not?" Emily asked.

"She has a dentist appointment." She replied.

"Okay."

The three continued on their way, chatting about the track try outs that would soon be held in a few days.

As they walked, Emily got the sudden urge to open the locket.

She wanted to see what was inside.

They had reached the school by this point and the bell had just rung.

Throughout the day, Emily couldn't' think of anything else except for track tryouts and her Dad's secret mission. She wondered if Sun was involved or even Haley.

Getting to her fourth period class, Emily slid into her seat. She tried to concentrate on what Miss Morgan was saying about the Civil war.

She was jerked out of her thoughts when she felt her neck suddenly grow hot.

She went to scratch at it, and was surprised when she received a slight electric shock.

Try as she might, she wasn't able to concentrate for very long. Before she knew it, her mind was wandering off to somewhere else entirely….

Meanwhile, Jake was just getting back from the meeting when his cell phone rang.

"Hey, Rose." He said. "What's up?"

Rose wasted no time and got straight to the point.

"Jake," she said hurriedly. "Did you move the locket we contained your evil twin in?"

"No." Jake replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I can't find it anywhere. That's why." She replied.

When Jake arrived home, he met Rose in the attic. It looked like she had gone through every old box they owned.

He spotted the ucrono hour glass sitting on its side near the window.

"How many boxes have you gone through?" He asked before giving her a kiss hello.

"More than I care to count." Rose replied. "The locket wasn't in any of them."

"Do you think it was sold during the garage sale last week?" Jake asked.

"Let's hope not." Rose said. She rubbed her chin in thought. "I remember exactly what I Did with it. I put it in a box with some other stuff we were keeping and set it aside. It was right next to the box of potion books Fu wanted to…OH no."

"I'm way ahead of you." Jake said. He dialed the electronics shop and waited for Fu to answer. "Yo FU! WE need your help. When you took the box of potion books, did you happen to see another box next to it?"

"Was it full of old junk?" He asked as he stuffed a chili dog in his mouth.

"Yes." Jake replied.

"OH yeah. I took it with me. I figured you guys wouldn't miss it."

"What did you do with it?" Jake asked.

"Uh, let me think for a minute, kid. OH yeah. I took it to megaus bizarre."

"You what!" Rose shouted.

"Hello to you too, sweetheart." Fu said. "Anyway, the stuff sold for a pretty penny."  
"Did you happen to find a locket inside?" Jake asked.

"Was it gold with a heart on it?"

"Yes."

"Yeah. Come to think of it, I did."

"What did you do with it?" Rose asked, grabbing the phone from her husband.

"I'm not sure. It was here the night before the Huntsman broke in and I haven't seen it since."

"The night the Huntsman broke in?" Rose said through clenched teeth. "Okay. You know what? You're hopeless."

"I love you too." Fu said dryly.

As Rose hung up the phone, she sighed and turned to Jake.

"Well, at least we know where it is. That's one problem solved. The only question is, how do we get it back?"

"That's easy." Jake said. "Just leave it to the AmDrag." With that, he kissed Rose on the cheek, transformed into his dragon form and left the house.

Rose sighed as she watched him go. She only prayed he wasn't biting off more than he could chew…


End file.
